Tuesday, 10 March 2015

A few winter survivors...

It amazes me that after all the snow and freezing weather we've had that anything survived the onslaught, I would have just curled into a little ball and given up. But some things did survive..I've just harvested the last of the curly kale, I will definitely be planting that again this year it's been great, even if you don't eat it (which would be a waste) it's the prettiest plant and it's complicated leaves seem to fox anything that might want to try an eat it before you do:)

The purple sprouting broccoli deserves a medal for endurance, not only surviving the weather but a severe attack by pigeons when the netting got blown off. They must have been sitting in the trees waiting for the wind to do it's thing rubbing their little wings together:) It's the first time I've ever tried to grow it and I'm stupidly proud of it's little florets...might not be enough to feed a party of people but I think there's enough for a treat meal for me and Chris.

The celeriac looks like nothing has touched it, unfortunately it's suffered from my lack of gardening knowledge and although it has lovely healthy leaves the bit you actually want, the swollen root just hasn't happened. I think I sowed them too late in the season, I was a bit too eager when I got my allotment last year to start planting seeds...should have known better. I think I've also planted them all a bit too close together, I've just not given them enough room to grow. I will do my homework this year and make sure I get it right cos I love celeriac, I love the fact that something so ugly and unpromising to look at can actually taste so great.

I also planted some broad beans to over winter which I really thought had had it. I'd tucked them up under a lovely brand new pop up fleece cloche which at the first gust of wind just...popped off...I just couldn't get the thing to stay put even with heavy duty tent pegs. So the poor plants ended up fending for themselves and a few of them seem to have made it...a few unfortunately took the 'I'm just going outside...I might be sometime...' route but I can't say I'm that surprised. I'll plant a few more seeds near the potatoes just to bulk up the numbers a bit and because apparently beans and potatoes help each other out. I love broad beans I even quite like the mindless peeling of them, there's something quite satisfying about the fiddly process that appeals to me.